US whiskey giant Jack Daniel’s is making its first move into the cider category with Tennessee Cider – which has launched in the UK ahead of a global rollout.
Available now, the 5.5% abv beverage is landing on shelf in Londis stores in a bottle format with a black and while label closely resembling that of JD’s original whiskey (rsp: £2.29/33cl). Set to appear in branches of Morrisons and Asda next month, the sparkling NPD is a crisp apple cider blended with JD whiskey – a recipe similar to that of Winter Jack, a seasonal 15% abv liqueur unveiled by the Brown-Forman brand in late 2013 and sold in the US as Tennessee Cider.
JD said the choice of the UK to debut its premium new drink this month was reflective of the growing trend for innovation in the British cider category – which is holding more or less steady in value sales, down just 0.8% to £1,031.7m [Nielsen 52 w/e 8 October 2016]. UK cidermakers showed the “independent spirit of Mr Jasper Newton ‘Jack’ Daniel, who registered his distillery more than 150 years ago” JD added.
“We are increasingly seeing drink brands outside the category experiment with the traditional boundaries of cider, triggering consumers to think differently about how they drink it,” said Charlotte Ashburner, head of marketing at Brown-Forman.
Tennessee Cider’s launch follows last month’s addition of Lynchburg Lemonade to JD’s portfolio of premixed drinks. The RTD, with an abv of 5%, is a blend of whiskey, triple sec and ‘traditional’ lemonade aimed at younger drinkers (rsp: £1.90/33cl).
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